Understanding your customers and providing them with ongoing attention is the backbone of operational excellence. Yet customers themselves are embedded into an environment in flux. That is why it is paramount to take a step back and seek to adopt a broader perspective, spanning the entire global market value chain. Only this holistic view enables […]
To become a leader, analyse the market’s value chain Read Post »
As the founder of a Deeptech start-up, or the head of a technological innovation project, at a family gathering or a cocktail party, you sometimes tell about your professional activity. Haven’t you noticed the variety of reactions: curiosity, enthusiasm, admiration, or incomprehension, disinterest, scepticism. You will face likewise a diversity of attitudes when you launch
Deeptech: Will your scientific & technical selling points be enough to succeed? Read Post »
You run a business a market that is doomed to disappear, whether due to regulation, climate change, a geopolitical event, or because new solutions are rendering your offering obsolete. What can you do? Once the initial stages of grief have passed, two options emerge: • the traditional option, guided by financial criteria, • the entrepreneurial
The market is doomed : How to keep your company afloat? Read Post »
In an article issued in January 2026, strategy professor Philippe Silberzahn calls for ‘developing a true culture of uncertainty’ in organisations. In a post published shortly afterwards, he points to management’s inadequate reactions to uncertainty, trying to protect teams by increasing control and centralising decisions. He advises showing ‘vulnerability […] to better connect with reality’.
Embracing a culture of uncertainty, … really? Read Post »
Trucks, wind turbines, production machinery, boilers, software… these types of equipment require significant maintenance throughout their lifetime. For a company that designs and manufactures them, new equipment and maintenance activities are intertwined. But day-to-day operations are so different that they need to be managed separately.This can lead to lose sight of the strategic link between
Under the wake of geopolitical tensions, the globalisation of trade seems to be giving way to the fragmentation of markets and value chains. Calls for boycotts, increased customs duties, economic sovereignty, manufacturing reshoring and protective regulations are on the rise… and the political sphere is putting national preference on its agenda. Some manufacturers are mulling
Economic patriotism: Is it a good selling point? Read Post »
Richard Branson, Xavier Niel, Sam Walton, and Ingvar Kamprad founded iconic companies: Virgin Group, Iliad/Free, Walmart, and Ikea. They all started their careers as salespeople. Often, top sales reps also share the same strengths as those attributed to successful entrepreneurs: boldness, flair, grit, tenacity, interpersonal skills, autonomy, nimbleness, and decisiveness. Should your salespeople have an
Should your sales forces have an entrepreneurial mindset? Read Post »
Producers of basic goods upstream in a supply chain often generate by-products. Once considered waste, these by-products have generally found new uses. However, their economic value remains marginal. The triple necessity of decarbonisation, circular economy, and tackling the scarcity of some raw materials has led to a new generation of innovative industrial processes: pyrolysis, plasmalysis,
Promoting the country’s economic and technological sovereignty is not the job of governments only. And the job goes far beyond financing start-ups and businesses. Sovereignty is all too often invoked to secure tax breaks, subsidies, non-dilutive financing and other assistance from public authorities. Yet in many countries the states are highly indebted, and their political
The economic sovereignty of a country relies on the sovereignty of its companies Read Post »
The cash shortage triggers a string of steps: factoring, delayed payment of suppliers, reduction of expenses, hiring freeze, additional approval level for expense requests, etc. Yet the crisis may linger or resurface. So, another round of financial belt-tightening? In the long run, the issue becomes a mental burden driving to a compulsive attention to certain
Cash-strapped? What about asking Sales & Marketing for a fix? Read Post »
In your industrial or tech company, many engineers work with customers. They are members of the engineering team, product developers, project managers or technical experts. They are not part of the sales team. What about asking them to get involved in the sales process? Under which conditions? To do what exactly? If properly designed, the
Can customer-facing engineers help with sales ? Read Post »
Your company has just made a complementary acquisition. It is extending its skills by buying either a supplier or a technology partner, and in all cases a company with a strong expertise. The two entities have different business models, because they have specific underlying skills, key assets, offerings and customers. So when you announce the
The strategic plan describes the company’s ambitions over a period of 3 years or more, and allocates resources to the projects that will make the greatest contribution to achieving them. It is a dense, difficult and tedious exercise. In view of the rapid changes taking place in the company’s environment, we may well wonder whether
Is it still worth making a strategic plan? Read Post »
Collaboration between big companies and start-ups or innovative small or medium enterprises (SMEs) is notoriously difficult. Anyone working with both worlds has felt the differences in terms of organisation, decision-making methods and relationship to time.Yet the stakes of a value-creating exchange remain high for both parties. Start-ups and SMEs are looking for growth. Major groups
Startups and innovative SMEs: To sell to key accounts, don three costumes! Read Post »
Innovation competitions and calls for innovation projects have proliferated since the beginning of the 21st century. They allow the most innovative proposals to be selected and funded within a limited timeframe. While they offer significant efficiency benefits to the organisers, they are often disconnected from the heart of the company operations and from the real-life
Launch your own Customer Problem Beauty Contest! Read Post »
One of the editors of this article recently decided to change the blade on a gardening tool rather than replace the whole thing. The manufacturer offers a life warranty, and the spare part is available in the catalogue… perfect! Yet it turned out that after two months, a visit by car to a shop, a
Leaders, get to grips with industrial design and rise above your competitors! Read Post »
You are regularly requested to briefly present your company, for instance at a first meeting with a potential customer or partner, or at the start of a speech at a conference. As you speak, what you can read in the eyes and faces of our audience says a lot about the strength and relevance of
Company positioning statement:How to make a splash? Read Post »
Deeptech start-ups and innovative industrial companies are increasingly using the TRL (Technology Readiness Level) scale of technological maturity. It facilitates dialogue with partners and funders. The TRL ranges from level 1, for an idea, to level 9, for a technology that has been proven in an operational environment. The early 2020s saw the emergence of
Balance the technological maturity and the commercial maturity! Read Post »
CEOs willing to make their company more innovative come up often to the conclusion: “We need to improve our innovation culture!” Alas culture is a fuzzy concept . It’s time to put some meat around this bone! We propose here a systemic approach to characterise your innovation culture, which combines1- soft skills,2- the content of
Invest in your innovation culture and transform smoothly your company! Read Post »
Deeptech startups are tackling tomorrow’s challenges through disruptive technological innovation based on scientific research. This is why Deeptech investors are willing to take greater risks and wait longer. Moreover, one of the main reasons why startups fail is that their offering does not meet a market need. Alignment with market needs is a basic principle
Deeptech startups need a deep marketing Read Post »
The decision to stop an innovation project is an uncomfortable one. What is at stake goes beyond the rationale for the decision and the consequences for project team members. And, if it is a major project, it may impact the company’s history. This decision is much more than a one-off judgement developed by management. It
Stopping an innovation project is still innovation! Read Post »
A McKinsey paper estimates that companies that focus on satisfying their existing customers grow twice as fast as others. And yet, who among those of you who works in an industrial company has not heard the sales forces lamenting: “we are a product-oriented company anyway”, or harsher: “the engineers have here all the power”? To
Can a product-centric company become customer-centric? Read Post »
Until recently, financial investors in industrial companies where keen to slash first marketing and communication costs to improve cash flow and short-term profitability. Geopolitical crises, economic sovereignty policies, the digitalisation of production, and efforts to reduce CO2 emissions have increased the interest in relocating factories closer to end markets. A new generation of investors is
Industrial CAPEX:Do not forget to invest in marketing! Read Post »
With order intake below expectations, the market launch of the innovation has been disappointing. The oncoming review meeting with senior management will be difficult. Yes, it will be necessary to admit that repeated weak signals had hinted at difficulties. Yes, some decisions should have been better prepared, some assumptions should have been requestioned from the
Getting my innovation adopted by the market:What is the winning strategy? Read Post »